Another Illinois child diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a poliolike condition; total now stands at 10

Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune

Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago has treated at least two of the children diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, but it had not received any additional AFM patients as of Oct. 12, 2018.

Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago has treated at least two of the children diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, but it had not received any additional AFM patients as of Oct. 12, 2018. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)

Elvia MalagonChicago Tribune

A 10th child in Illinois has now been diagnosed with the poliolike condition known as acute flaccid myelitis, which causes paralysis and difficulty swallowing, according to state health officials.

All of the recent cases have arisen in northern Illinois, but Illinois Department of Public Health officials did not provide any more detailed information about the most recent case or the other cases. Lurie Children’s Hospital has treated at least two of the children diagnosed with AFM, but it had not received any additional AFM patients as of Friday.

The condition has gained attention in the past week after the parents of a 2-year-old Batavia girl came forward to share their story to raise awareness. It’s a rare but serious condition, that causes inflammation in the spinal cord area that directly affects a person’s muscles.

Most of the cases logged by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been children. Medical experts have said AFM itself is not believed to be contagious, but the causes of it could be. In the case of the Batavia child, doctors say Julia Payne contracted what’s known as an enterovirus and that was the cause of her AFM. And while anyone can contract an enterovirus — it can be the source of, for instance, the common cold — not everyone will develop AFM, said Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, the medical director for the pediatric intensive care unit at Lurie.

“It’s very hard to understand what kids are going to react this way and which aren’t,” Malakooti said earlier this week.

Other causes have been linked to environmental toxins, genetic disorders and viruses similar to the West Nile virus, according to state health officials. In some cases, the cause of AFM remains unknown.

The CDC began tracking the cases in 2014 after seeing an uptick in the number of cases. Since then, at least 362 cases have been reported across the country, according to the federal agency. So far this year, cases have been reported in 16 states.

In September, the Illinois Department of Public Health sent out an alert to health providers about AFM. Recently, Minnesota state officials also put out an alert after receiving reports of six recent AFM cases involving children.

Parents are encouraged to consult a doctor if they see symptoms of the condition, including weakness, eyelid or facial drooping, difficulty moving the eyes, difficulty swallowing or slurred speech, according to the state health department. AFM has been compared to polio because the condition can lead to paralysis.